Cabinet restoring

[HarryM]

Since the topic of cab refinishing came up in another thread it got me thinking, what does a restored cab look like? So I went in the library to see pictures of AR's when they were new. They do not look anything like mine which is understandable. My question is, when doing a restoration on the cab is the objective to get it to look like it did when new or is it the reddish patina. Also what is your preference. I would like lots of opinions and pics of your restored AR's. I will try to post pics of some of mine but don't hold your breath waiting for mine, I'm computer incompetent.

[JKent]

Hey Harry. Good question. IMHO the "patina" that develops over the decades often makes the wood look muddy and dull, and hides the grain. Using KLH radios as an example; the walnut has taken on an orange-ish cast but if I sand down to raw wood it is somewhat redder. Still not like present-day walnut veneer, which tends toward purple as I see it. In fact, KLH was the worst for hiding the beauty of the wood. I couldn't believe the awful-looking finish on my Fives, and similar Thirty-Threes, and how much sanding and refinishing improved them. Attached photos show the 33s.

The AR2ax also shows a dramatic change.

Bear in mind, the original series ARs came in many different finishes. There's a chart from Tom somewhere but the choices included African Mahogany, Birch, American Walnut (clear lacquer OR oiled), Cherry, Teak, Korina and Ponderosa Pine (unfinished).

Kent

[HarryM]

Thanks for posting Kent,

The difference in the KLH's is huge. Your 3a looks about the same as mine after I finished mine. The 3a's are what got me thinking because it seemed to

me that in most of the pics of original 3a's the cabs were very light, what I would call blond. The pics I found in the library of the 9 series speakers also

appear to be blond. Non of my AR's are blond, they all have the reddish color to them.

I started to wonder if I had made a mistake using Howards and should have just used boiled linseed oil after sanding the 3a's. I am sure all my veneer

cab AR's are walnut.

The different finishes explains alot.

So now I would like to see pics of members speakers with all the different finishes.

Thanks,Harry.

[KlausDK]

Guidance from AR on maintaining the veneer

BRgds Klaus

Veneer.pdf

[HarryM]

Thanks Klaus,

So how many are applying boiled linseed oil every 6 months to thier oiled cabs.

[DON]

Thanks Klaus,

So how many are applying boiled linseed oil every 6 months to thier oiled cabs.

Having refinished/restored several WW2 rifle stocks I can say absolutely..... thin BLO with mineral spirits or turpentine before applying. When applied straight it can take days to dry and even a thinned coat should be allowed to dry overnight. I live in an area that has low humidity and in high humidity areas longer drying periods may be needed. If you recoat before the BLO is dried a couple of times it will start to become gummy and roll up with your cloth. I apply it with my hand and rub in throughly although some say that's not healthy.

[HarryM]

Thanks Don,

That's good to know, and yes with any kinds of chemicals you should wear gloves and use a mask. Paint thinners will affect your heart in less then 1 second after contact and causes brain damage when inhaled. Might explain why I suck on computers.

[SHOKDU]

My example would be this.

Restored is on the left and right is not restored.

I used Dark Walnut Howards Restore-A-Finish and Howards Feed-N-Wax.

[HarryM]

Big difference between the two SHOKDU, looks good. Did you do any sanding or is that just the Howards.

[SHOKDU]

In my opinion, it's always easier to start with the simple solution and work towards a more difficult one. So, that said, I did not sand. I did numerous coats of the RAF and the grain leveled out after absorbing so much, so I felt no need to sand. I'd suggest trying the RAF as it's easy to apply and cheap. If that doesnt work, then sand and re-finish in whichever fashion you like, oiled or stained.

[HarryM]

I finally got a picture to post. It only took a couple of hours. Now after a rest I'll see if I can post pics of my refinished 3a's.

[HarryM]

These are my refinished 3a's. I sanded them with a block and 120 grit sandpaper and then used Howards restor-a-finish and then minwax paste. I'm happy with them.

[HarryM]

These are next on my list of cabs to refinish, AR 3a's and 14's. After starting to sand the 14's I noticed that the wood seemed very hard and was smoother then when I did the other 3a's so I sanded the top on one of the unfinished 3a's and I was right. The 14's are teak not walnut like the 3a's are. It's to bad because the 14 cabs are very trashed as you might see in the pics. I was just going to refinish them enough so they wouldn't be quite as ugly but now I want them perfect. LOL. I'm going to do both these pairs with boiled linseed oil as per the instructions posted in another thread that I can't find back.

[JKent]

FWIW: Mohawk makes a product that is fairly easy to work with. Roy swears by it: http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=113

And Watco (and others) makes a product called Teak Oil: https://www.google.com/search?q=teak+oil&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Attached is the file I think you're looking for.

Kent

applying furniture finishes.pdf

[DON]

I could use some of those products to fill the cracks and scratches in my face

Some of the methods used to remove white spots look promising. The epoxy paste should work on the ubiquitous corner dents on most speakers that have been shipped to me.

[HarryM]

Thanks Kent,

that's the file I was looking for.

I looked into the Mohawk products and I can get them locally. I will be going over soon to see if they have what I need in stock, if not I will have to order it in.

I got myself confused about which product to use on the teak cabs. Some say not to use boiled linseed oil and others say not to use teak oil. The AR instructions say to use BLO. I'm going to ask at the store which is recommended.

Thanks,Harry.

[HarryM]

I picked up the BLO for the 3a cabs but ran into a problem getting the Mohawk products so the 14 cabs will be on hold but I'll keep working on the 3a's.

[HarryM]

This is the 3a with the first coat of BLO. I was going to take a pic before the first coat but I got carried away and had the BLO on before realized that I forgot. It goes on easy and fast and doesn't stink like Howards. It is interesting that it says it is very flammable and yet, does not say anything about using it in a well ventilated area. That worked out well for me because I did it in my kitchen. When I was done I threw the cloth in the sink with water so it could not self ignite.

My plan is to do one 3a and one 14 and then compare them to the unfinished ones. Hopefully I can get the Mohawk products soon so I can get one 14 done. You can see it in the pics all sanded.

[DON]

I think your cabinets are coming along nicely. BLO is almost the universal oil finish for vintage speakers that had an oil finish. My only caution is to thin it and go slow and allow it to dry completely before applying another coat. It will become gummy and pull up if not dried completely. You can tint the BLO with a small amt. of stain if you want a darker color. BLO won't damage the teak.

There is no need to apply any other finish over the BLO but it's not water proof........potted plants are a no no on the tops. Rubbing the oil in generates some heat and helps the oil penetrate the wood so the finish is in the wood not just on it.

I'm glad to see someone else working in their kitchen My ProPlan container finally dried out, cracked and fell apart after about 15years.

[HarryM]

Thanks for the comments Don,

I'm going to try tinting the BLO a bit. I have a few light spots I'd like to darken up on the 3a cab. I going to look more into the Mohawk products Monday to fix up the major ugly's on the 14 cabs.

My ProPlan bin is about 12 years old so I should get a few more years use out of it. LOL.

Thanks,Harry.

[DON]

Thanks for the comments Don,

I'm going to try tinting the BLO a bit. I have a few light spots I'd like to darken up on the 3a cab. I going to look more into the Mohawk products Monday to fix up the major ugly's on the 14 cabs.

My ProPlan bin is about 12 years old so I should get a few more years use out of it. LOL.

Thanks,Harry.

Harry I thin BLO about 50/50 with turpentine or mineral spirits. Mineral spirits is flammable and turpentine has an odor. The rifle stocks I restore are of course smaller than a speaker cabinet but I usually put on at least 3-4 coats. I need to find ssome of the epoxy paste to finish the corners of my 2ax and 5s.

[HarryM]

Thanks for the advice Don,

If you check out the link that Kent posted with the instructions for care from AR it say's to leave the last coat for at least 4 hours and then wipe off, then apply a thin coat of wax. I guess the recommend the wax because it will go hard over top of the BLO.

Some tricks I've learned when refinishing hardwood are, use a course sand paper like 120 or 150 with a block. That opens up the grain so what ever you use will go into the grain easier. After each coat you use finer and finer sand paper. A friend of mine told me this. He worked for a furniture manufacture that did all their own finishing. Most of their products were made with hardwood veneers.

Another thing to do is wipe it down with a damp cloth and as soon as it is dry apply what ever product you are using. The water opens up the pores in the wood so it absorbs the product better.It also gets rid of the dust from sanding.

Hopefully this thread will help other people who are learning to refinish cabs by trial and error like myself.

Harry.

[DON]

Refinishing the cabinets is the easiest part of restoring a vintage speaker as long as it has a wood veneer. I've seen examples of one persons work where he removed the vinyl and applied a wood veneer and the speakers were absolutely beautiful.

I haven't read this entire thread so I don't know if it's been mentioned but dents even serious dents can be lifted using a wet cloth and an iron. As long as the wood fibers have not been crushed the dent can be lifted. I've lifted dents that were 3/4" deep and you can't tell there was a dent. Takes time and several passes with the HOT iron and a WET cloth.

[HarryM]

I don't know if it's the easy part. LOL

I am figuring things out though and with practice it will get easier I'm sure.

I did read about fixing dents that way while doing research. Someday I may need to try it.

I don't have dents to fix but even the bottoms of my AR-11's have water damage. I would have to guess that they sat on a damp floor for quite awhile because they are cracked and split only on the bottom. The sides have no damage at all. The build up of dirt and crap on the sides and top is nasty. I've got one clean, it needs a light sand and then a few coats of BLO.

[HarryM]

These are are the 11's that I mentioned.

I cleaned them first and them gave them a light sand with 240 and then applied a coat of BLO.

The way I cleaned these is not a method you will find on the internet. I had tried using paint thinners but that didn't do anything so I grab a spare 4x cab that I don't have drivers for and used my favorite all purpose cleaner. I didn't want to test it on the 11's.

Before I go any further I have to warn you,

DO NOT USE THIS UNLESS YOU PLAN TO COMPLETELY REFINISH THE CAB.

It's called SPRAY NINE. It cleans very well including any waxes and oils. It cleans right down to the bare wood so you have to sand after and apply at least one coat of BLO. The way I did it was put the SPRAY NINE in a spray bottle and start spraying from the bottom up. I had the cab sitting on it's back. I did one side at a time so the spray nine did not sit for any length of time. When you start spraying you will see the dirt and oil and wax running down, this is why you start at the bottom. Make sure you have a cloth underneath to catch the drips. As soon as I was finished spraying I rub it with an abrasive pad to help it along and then re sprayed with spray nine, again from the bottom up. Then wiped off with a damp cloth, rinsing it as I went until there was very little residue. You do not want to give the spray nine time to dry on the veneer. Each side took no more then 2 minutes. You also do not want to get the veneer very wet. It works very well for me but you do have to move quickly.